Steve Burr struggled to explain his side’s flat performance for much of the 2-0 defeat at Dover Athletic.

Chester couldn't get into the contest and created little until the final 20 minutes at the Crabble Athletic Ground but the home side were two goals up at that point.

Both teams negated each other in a ragged first half and although things improved in the second, neither side really did enough to win the game.

Dover took the lead two minutes into the second half when Ben Heneghan diverted Tom Murphy's shot past Jon Worsnop.

Luck was not on the Blues side and the hosts benefited from more good fortune on 64 minutes when a sliced shot found Murphy and he crossed for an unmarked Connor Essam to head home.

Chester did then spring into life and Dover came under strong pressure in the closing stages with Kingsley James having a goal ruled out for offside but a combination of poor finishing and scrambling defence sent them home empty-handed.

“It was very frustrating indeed,” said Burr after the game.

“I didn’t think we quite got going in the first half but we changed things around a little bit in the second half but to concede right after half-time after talking about at half-time was disappointing.

“It was a bit of a fluke goal and then the second one where he’s shanked the shot and the lad’s crossed it for a free header and we were chasing the game after that.

“It’s hard to say sometimes but both sides sort of cancelled each other out a little bit but we gave the ball away too easily in the first half.

“I think if we’d have got one we might have got something out of it but in front of goal it just didn’t happen for us.”

Chester have dropped two places to 16th in the Vanarama Conference table and are five points off the bottom four.

Burr has now joined up with the England C squad for an International Challenge Trophy game in Turkey but returns on Thursday to prepare his side to face improving Alfreton Town at the Swansway Chester Stadium on Saturday (3pm).